Lost Kattobingu
by Hunter13hawkie
Summary: In AU where he lost his Kattobingu, Yuma slowly sinks deeper and deeper into the despair of his own sadness. But when a classmate named Michael Arclight notices this, he'll do everything he can to bring his Kattobingu back... Same AU as Fragile Smile, some characters from it will make an appearance in the future chapters.
1. I can't just ignore your sadness!

For arcadecryptid.

Here goes my Secret Santa for arcadecryptid. Hope you will like the fanfic :D

It was hard to create AU where aztecshipping is a thing since I'm a big keyshipping and sharkbaitshipping fan, but I did my best to make it as realistic as possible. Since I'm incapable of writing short oneshots I decided to split it one really long one in four, so you may enjoy Yuma X III fluff to the fullest. I hope you'll have the blast reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The rest of the chapters will come out this week, so stayed tooned. :)

 **Part 1: "I can't just ignore your sadness!"**

Murky classroom, way too familiar everyday faces of his classmates and digital blackboard…

Just another normal day of his first year at high school.

Michael brushed through his pink locks out of boredom while waiting for the class to begin. His electronic notebook was already set at the desk, his fingers fiddling with a keychain of an Aztec mask attached to his pencil case. Everyone else were still wandering around the classroom, totally ignoring the fact that class was about to begin. Teacher was surely taking longer than usual.

"Alright, take your seats!" a brown haired man in late thirties entered the class, making all the students instantly getting back to their places "While your notebooks are starting, I'd like you to know that we'll be having someone new to join us today."

With others too busy with preparing the electronic notebooks, Michael was the only one to see the new classmate coming in. Dressed in typical school attire consisting of dark slacks, white short-sleeved shirt and red tie, was seemingly shorter boy his age. The boy's black hair was spiked along with the red bangs that somehow made him look a bit taller. He'd certainly look taller if he wasn't holding his head so low though. The boy barely moved his eyes off the floor, staring at it like he was afraid to look up.

"Okay, why don't you introduce yourself?" the teacher asked the boy once he got in front of the blackboard. The new classmate made hardly any reaction and only when teacher lightly tapped his shoulder did the boy looked up slightly.

Michael could finally see that the new student had bright crimson eyes, nearly identical to his bangs. The pink haired boy imagined they would look even prettier if they had more light in them. For some reason something was missing in them, something that would make them more alive. As how they were now, they looked bleak, like a faded painting.

The boy took electronic marker and wrote those few letters on the blackboard, a usual way for the new students to make an introduction. After what felt like minutes, the black haired boy was finally done with writing and he politely bowed to the class.

"M… my name… is Y-Yuma… Ts-Tsu…kumo." the boy stuttered, continuing to look at the floor while uttering those few sentences "I-I… transferred… from Maimi City… It-it's nice… to meet you…"

Man, the guy talked like he was a sheep in a wolf den, Michael thought. The way his hands trembled, the way he was eyeing the floor and how quiet his voice was… the pink haired boy hasn't seen anyone this shy before. He was even worse than himself during middle school and that was saying something.

"Alright Yuma, you can sit next to Arclight in the back." the teacher showed at the only free spot in the classroom.

Yuma made a quiet nod and took a seat next to the Michael who welcomed him with a smile. Despite the warm welcome, the transfer student only blinked as he began taking the electronic notebook and other things out of his school bag. His expression remained pretty much the same during the lesson, blank and unfocused. From time to time, Michael glanced at Yuma who didn't appear to make much notes and from the look of it he wasn't listening to the lesson as well.

During the break, Yuma didn't move from his spot and before Michael could say anything to strike up a conversation, the next lesson began. At that one too and for the rest of them, the black haired stared at his notebook with empty eyes like he wasn't aware of his own existence. Even when the lunch break began, Yuma simply took out his bento box with two rice balls and began to slowly chew onto one. No attempts to socialize with anyone, no questions about the lessons and most of all not a single word since the stuttering introduction. By now the other students probably forgot about the fact that they had a new classmate at how well Yuma made himself invisible.

Once the last lesson was finally over, Michael made one more attempt to try to know the new classmate. The pink haired boy used to be pretty shy and he knew well how hard must've been for Yuma to make friends at the new school.

"Hey." Michael gently tapped Yuma's arm which made him flinch slightly "My name is Michael Arclight. I thought you should know my name since we will be sharing the desk from now on."

The black haired boy looked up slightly, half-avoiding the eye contact as he bowed slightly as a reply. Michael was about to ask him some more questions when he noticed something dangling around Yuma's neck. Whatever it was, it certainly looked ancient, painted in sparkling golden colour with a single green gem on top.

"Wow this looks like Aztec ornament!" Michael chirped in excitement "I saw pictures of them in books, but I haven't seen one for real! Where did you get it?"

Yuma looked at the shining pendent, cradling it carefully as it was about to break any moment. Michael didn't expect much reaction considering how silent the other boy was so far, so it kind of surprised him when Yuma looked up and actually opened his mouth to answer.

"M-my dad… gave it to me…"

"Really? Where did he get it?"

"I-I don't… know…"

"I actually have this keychain with me! It's plastic though, but yours looks real!"

Too engulfed in his own excitement when seeing pieces of ancient artifacts, Michael failed to see the tears bubbling up at the edges of Yuma's eyes. As much as the black haired boy enjoyed the fact that someone else had the same passion as him, Yuma couldn't hold his tears back anymore. Even as Michael began to talk about the book about ruins he had read recently, the transfer student didn't feel like being there anymore. Despite the all-school cleaning hour coming soon, Yuma raced out of the classroom right away, quietly apologizing to the pink haired boy as the tears rained down his face.

Michael watched him stunned, shocked by the other boy's reaction to simply talking about their interests. Being overly shy alone wasn't the reason behind Yuma's fidgeting behavior… no it must've been something more. He already looked so scared the moment he entered the classroom and when he stormed away he looked outright terrified. Just what was going on with that transfer student?

The thought of the certain black haired boy wouldn't leave Michael's mind, even hours later when he was cooped up in a busy bus on the way home. His family lived at the top of luxury suites right at the center of Heartland. He didn't like to brag about it, but Arclight family was pretty wealthy, thanks to his father's work as a scientist at many fields. Still, Michael preferred to attend a public high school rather than prestige private boarding school full of rich brats. He hoped to make some friends regardless of who he was, but so far he didn't have much luck. The pink haired boy just reached the top floor where his family's apartment was via elevator when he nearly bumped into another person.

"Sorry! I didn't see you!" Michael apologized quickly, picking the plastic bags that the other person dropped.

"It's fine, snacks won't go anywhere." the person replied in a casual manner.

"Oh hello there Ryoga!" the pink haired boy recognized a familiar face "Do you have another tag duel with my brother today?"

"Yeah and we were supposed to be going already but that idiot forgot where he stuck his damm Mirror Force card."

"Don't you have any other copies of it? I mean it's not that rare card."

"The puppet bastard insisted he had to use the limited edition card…" the purple haired boy sighed when the doors opened with such force they nearly flew off the hinges.

"My fanservice is ready!" an older teen with blond and dark red hair shouted as he made his entrance with a deck of cards in his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get going before we're disqualified from the tournament for being late." Ryoga already pressed the button for the ground floor on the elevator.

"What? I have to look presentable to my fans." Michael's brother chuckled "You aren't jealous, are you?"

"Sh-shut up!" the purple haired teen barked back though his cheeks turned redder significantly.

The duo consisting of Ryoga and his brother Thomas went off bickering at each other until the elevator was several floors below. Michael just let it be and entered their apartment. Luxurious wasn't even remotely close to describing it. The furniture had Victorian design with a modern touch, just how his father liked it as he was a big fan of various historical periods. Huge glass windows let in all the light possible, making it look like a country villa with a panorama view at the Heartland. The pink haired boy passed the living room with a red couch, adorned by several pink pillows where an elderly looking man was sitting.

"Hello III, how was your day at school today?" a man with long fair hair tied in braid asked once he noticed him over the some research papers he was reading.

"Pretty much the same as always, father." Michael replied, slightly grinning at the fact that his father, Byron Arclight, used his nickname instead of an actual name.

"That's nice to hear." the man put away his monocle "I managed to finish majority of my work for today, so what do you say we have dinner together for a change?"

"I would love to!" the boy smiled.

His family consisting of two brothers and a father would have dinner together where they would talk and laugh about their everyday lives. But with his eldest brother Chris at the college at the different town, other brother Thomas becoming busier with card game tournaments and his father working on several projects, those dinners became rare. At most Michael would get a chance to be with either Thomas or his father and that would happen only few times per month. The pink haired boy would so eat his dinner alone while watching historical documentaries, so the thought of being with his father tonight made him more than glad.

Michael hurried with his homework and school project about ancient civilizations as he could already smell the home cooked meal from the kitchen. In Arclight family he would usually took care of all the cooking, though it was Byron who taught him everything. This time they had simple pork cutlets with rice, one of the first dishes that his father taught him how to prepare. While he would make them a bit differently, he still enjoyed the crispy dish.

"So, was your school day really that ordinary or was there at least something new about it?" Byron poured himself a glass of wine.

"Well we did learn some new stuff about Mayan culture…" Michael also remembered something else "And… we got a new transfer student from Maimi City."

"Did you get to meet this new student?"

"I did… but he was really shy and…" he thought about the boy's odd behaviour "… he didn't really seemed like he wanted to talk with me in the first place…"

"Oh, that's really unlikely considering how nice are you with everyone. Did you manage to catch his name at least?"

"I think it was Yuma... Tsu-something. I didn't hear it that well since he was stuttering so much."

"Yuma? As Tsukumo Yuma?" Byron raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah, I think it was Tsukumo." Michael took a sip of water "Do you happen to know him?"

"I-I actually do..." his father stuttered slightly, oddly similar to how Yuma did.

"Father? Is everything alright?"

"Do you remember when I was out of town for a couple of weeks?"

"When you were helping out at the funeral around a month ago?" Michael didn't like where this was going.

"Yes..." Byron set a hand on his forehead "The people that were put to rest were my old friend Kazuma and his wife Mirai Tsukumo. Yuma's parents."

Michael placed his hands on his mouth in shock. Now it made sense of why Yuma was acting the way he did. The poor guy probably hasn't recovered from the shock considering it hasn't been that long. And when Michael asked him about the pendent… yeah that must've upset him really bad. To only mention the recently passed away parents must've been like poking his hurting heart.

"Kazuma and his wife were both adventurers, travelling to the mysterious and dangerous parts of the world like it was nothing. To think something as ordinary as the plane crash took them…" Byron reached for his bag that stored all of important documents.

"I didn't know…" the pink haired boy still felt guilty for being so blunt towards the person with fragile mental state.

"I met their son couple of times." his father showed him an old photo of himself being accompanied by a younger man who carried a five year old boy on his shoulders "Yuma was a spinning image of Kazuma, always smiling and excited about everything."

The pink haired boy stared at the photo, looking at Yuma's crimson eyes, so full of life and gleaming like the brightest gems. Then he thought about the empty orbs he was met with at school, a shadow compared to what they once were. Thinking back to his old elementary school years, Michael always remembered how he was all alone with books, with no one willing to become his friend. Yuma was alone now too, trapped in a bubble of sadness and unable to have the adventurous spirit that Michael saw on the photo. It was taken from him along with his parents.

"From what I know, Yuma and his older sister moved back here to Heartland since Kazuma's mother lives close by. I just didn't know he'd start school so early." Byron put away the photo "I can't imagine the burden that poor child is carrying…"

"I'll help him!" Michael blurted out.

"Are you sure about it, III? I know that you're trying to make friends and all, but…"

"It doesn't matter… I just can't ignore someone who's all alone. I don't want him to go through one hundred times harsher situation that I did."

Byron smiled as he ruffled Michael's pink bangs, looking at him proudly. Michael may be the youngest of his three sons, but he was certainly the one who got all the kind personality from his mother. To see him act so gentle and sweet towards the person he just met was just like watching certain someone whom he haven't seen for ages.

Though that was easier said than done.

Michael tried all kinds of ways to encourage Yuma to talk with him, but neither of them really worked. The very next day he had handed him the notes of all the lessons so far, kindly adding that he'd be more than glad to explain him the things he didn't understand. Yuma was surprised to see someone helping him out in school, but when he tried to talk with him, it was like something in him snapped and he reverted back to his nearly lifeless persona.

The second attempt was at the PE class. They had a swimming lesson at the school's huge indoor pool which was big enough for all the students to not feel squished. When he saw that Yuma put on swimming trunks like the rest of the class, Michael felt as he'd be able to hang up with him if only for a bit at the pool. But it soon turned out that was highly unlikely to happen. Instead of jumping into the water, Yuma sat in the corner, leaning against the wall, hugging his knees in fear like he was on a small island surrounded by sharks. Trying hard not to be too pushy, Michael kindly extended his arm to invite him for a swim or at least to talk about Atlantis (since the structure built for a springboard reminded him of it) all to no avail since the other boy wouldn't stop trembling.

In the following days nearly the same situations repeated over and over. He tried inviting him to eat lunch together at the roof to which Yuma mumbled he wasn't that hungry. When they worked in a pair due to sitting at the same desk, the black haired boy would only talk about the assignments they were doing. Then at the cleaning hours, Yuma even avoided him, mopping at the places as far from him as he could. At that point Michael wasn't even sure if it was possible to ask him to walk home with him together. Whatever he did in order to try making Yuma open up to him, the other boy responded with either running away or nearly bursting up in tears.

Michael didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did, but at the same time he couldn't just watch him drown deeper into his own ocean of misery. Yuma would appear more distant with each passing day, more colour leaving his face and more life leaving his already empty crimson eyes.

Days turned into weeks and before he knew it, November's name was at his wall calendar. By now he more or less ran out of ideas of how to get close to Yuma without forcing him. He'd still bring him additional notes and help him at exercises that Yuma seemingly had troubles with for which the other boy always thanked him, but other than this, they had practically no communication between them.

Then on one particular day once they were done with all the mopping and Yuma already went home without saying goodbye, Michael finally got a chance again. When checking over his bag to see if he took all of his stuff, his eyes became wide when he noticed something shining on the bench. Yuma's pendant! The rope was torn which must've meant that it slipped off Yuma's neck without him knowing. Michael quickly grabbed it and rushed out of the classroom in hopes that black haired wasn't out of the school yet.

But unfortunately, one of the female students saw Yuma leave school a while ago and was probably at home already. With no other choice, Michael instantly reached for his cell phone that held all the information about his classmates, including Yuma. Yuma's address was in walking distance of Heartland Academy so Michael set it on his cell phone's GPS. It didn't take him long, twenty minutes at the most when he arrived at the house that was clearly out of place compared to futuristic buildings surrounding it. Not that it looked old-fashioned or anything, it actually looked rather cosy, reminding him of his own home back in Domino where technology wasn't as advanced yet. The house was a nice combination of European and Japanese style, also having a small garden surrounded by a hedgerow.

Not to be too distracted by the house, Michael cleared his head to think of why he was there in the first place. So should he just ring a bell, give Yuma the pendant back and leave? That would probably be for the best, simple and formal. The pink haired boy found the front doors right away, pressing the bell button. But no one answered, even after ringing it few more times. Michael assumed no one was at home and thought about leaving the pendant in a mailbox or something when he saw the lights turn on at the top floor. He instantly rang the bell again, with an addition of knocking and still no one opened the door.

Michael stepped back a bit and realized someone was indeed inside, but that person didn't either hear a doorbell or just didn't want to face anyone. The pink haired boy was inches away from dropping the pendant into a mailbox when his mind was instantly filled with flashbacks of all the times that he tried to help Yuma so far and now there was another chance to do it. Now there were no classmates around, no teachers and no one in particular, just the two of them. The plan that unfolded in his head might seem crazy, but for Michael not trying at all looked even crazier.

Storing the pendant into the safety of his pocket, Michael took a deep breath before heading towards the side of the house where light was still on. Carefully grabbing onto the bricks that were projecting out of walls and any gutters that looked attached enough to support his weigh, the teen moved foot by foot higher. He would sneak to his father's study at their old home when he was little, learning to climb pretty much on every building as long as it has things to grab on to. It may make his situation worse, but Michael was really on the point where he was willing to risk if it meant to help a person he didn't want to see sad. Few more movements up and his was at the top floor, right above the illuminated room and once he stepped into it, boy was Michael surprised.

The room he entered through an open window was filled with ancient artefacts from all over the world. There was a nice arrangement of Aztec masks, right next to carved totems and various tribal plumes. Closets and chest had even more of those items, along with even weapons and quite precious looking ornaments. For moment Michael completely forgotten why he even got here in the first place as he was lost in a beauty of historical artefacts that he loved so much. Without a second thought he put on one of the masks, amazed at the actual hard wood it was made off and not some cheap plastic.

"W-Who's th-there?" a familiar stuttering voice brought him back in reality.

The pink haired boy quickly put the mask back on the shelf, though it didn't do much when he was met face to face with the transfer student whose head was peeking through the attic flap. Yuma's eyes were wide from fear and his hands were visibly shaking when he saw Michael right there. Trying to not make situation any worse than it already way, Michael quickly reached for Yuma's pendant and rose it up so the other boy could see it.

"I'm sorry for getting in your room uninvited, but you forgot this at school and I wanted to return it to you in person!" Michael tried hard not to sound like a crazy stalker "You weren't answering the doors…"

"Oh…" was Yuma's only response as he climbed into the attic room.

"I'll leave right away, just show me to the entrance!" the pink haired boy bowed as an apology.

"I-It's… okay…." Yuma stepped closer in order to reclaim his missing pendant "I w-was afraid… I-I lost it on th-the way home… th-thank you."

"You're welcome… I guess." Michael smiled awkwardly as he once again looked around the room at the artefacts "Those items are so amazing, especially the Aztec artefacts… to think you have so many of them right here…"

"My d-dad brought them… from his travels." Yuma's tone of voice changed to slightly calmer one, putting the pendant with a fixed rope around his neck "Emperor's Key was among the first ones."

Yuma then looked at the chest under the hammock, noticeably enough for Michael to look as well. There lay a single framed photo of two people with the pendant in their hands. The youngest of Arclight family immediately recognized them as Yuma's parents and could sense a building uneasiness in the other boy.

"I'm sorry about your parents." Michael finally said after minutes of awkward silence "It must've been really hard for you lately."

"H-how did you…?" Yuma raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"My father was friends with your father. He told me what happened to them…" the pink haired boy clenched his fist "I'm really sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable during the last few weeks, but I wanted to help you out in some way. I know how much it hurts to lose someone dear to you…"

The black haired just stared at his classmate, but not in fear or annoyance. The way Yuma observed Michael was like an additional artefact found a place in the treasured attic that he built up carefully with his father. It's been a while since his eyes have showed that spark in them again. Even though it was a very mild spark, Michael saw it, that little sign of a passionate spirit in crimson eyes.

"You l-like Aztec culture?" Yuma finally asked after a while with no sign of showing Michael out.

"Yeah, it's one of my favourite's actually." the other boy replied back in surprise.

"I th-think th-there are more Aztec ar-artefacts in the chest behind you."

Like it was nothing, Yuma walked towards the said chest and swiftly undid the bindings to open it. Michael curiously crunched down to see it better, his green eyes gleaming at the sight of ancient items that showed more of mysterious Aztec culture. Michael handled each artefact with utmost of care, listening to stories that each item had. Yuma almost didn't stutter at all when telling them, though he would stop from time to time to just relive all the happy memories with his father. But just like two children going through toys, the two boys carefully examined each and every item in the chest. Soon they opened another case and the moment they finished it they would go around the room, exchanging their passions for ancient artefacts.

"Y-you said you l-lost someone too…" Yuma said once they were close to checking out the last item in the room "If-If it's okay to ask…"

"It's alright, and it was my mother." Michael sighed as he reached for a thick bracelet he wore around his wrist "I was really young at the time, five or six at most, but I do remember her…"

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"You seriously don't need to apologize for anything. It has been years after all."

"Wh-What happened?"

"My mother had a terminal disease… she fought it well when I was little, but once I started school she became weaker… and eventually she lost the battle…

"Arclight-kun…"

"No need to be so formal… just call me III."

"III? Why III?" Yuma blinked in puzzlement.

"It's how my family calls me…. Michael Arclight is just a nametag…"

"III…" the other boy said in more sophisticated tone "It sounds my-mysterious in a way."

Michael grinned at Yuma, actually feeling his heart warming up a bit when hearing it from the black haired boy. As they continued to casually chat with each other, the pink haired boy noticed that Yuma stuttered less and less the more they talked. At that point he wasn't even sure how much time has passed, but it was certainly long since it was already dark outside for a while. That and there were steps coming from below.

"I know you're not hungry, but the dinner is on the table… Yuma." someone else's head peeked through the attic flap, their eyebrows up from the surprise.

The person was a red haired woman in early twenties whose hair was tied in a high ponytail. While her eyes were dark purple, she had several red highlights in her hair, similar to Yuma's bangs. This was probably his sister who was surprisingly much older than Michael thought.

"I didn't know you had a friend over…" she gave her brother a confused look.

"I f-forgot something at s-school. He brought it to me."

"Well the dinner is ready and there's more than enough for your friend too. Though hurry up unless you want it cold." Yuma's sister shut the flap as she headed towards dining room.

Yuma sighed as he followed her, Michael not far behind, cautiously climbing down the wooden ladder.

"I really should be going home… I didn't tell anyone where I was going." Michael whispered to Yuma who only grabbed his arm and led him down the stairs. The rest of the house looked like a mixture of traditional European and Japanese home as well, especially the combination of traditional paper walls and pastel green wallpapers covering the majority of the walls.

The room to which they eventually arrived looked like dining room, kitchen and living room all squished together in one room. Compared to his family's dining room, it was rather tiny, nearly smaller than the grand table at his house alone. But with the warmth coming from the still hot stove and a table adorned with many various dishes, it felt unexplainably cosy. An elderly woman carried the plates on the table, not saying a word when putting another one for Michael.

"I'm grateful for your hospitality, but I should really be going…" the member of Arclight family politely declined that invitation to dinner.

"Nonsense dear, there's enough food for everyone. Just take a seat next to Yuma and thank for your food before you start to eat." an old woman, whom he assumed to be Yuma's grandmother, gave him a warm smile.

Michael sat down a bit awkwardly, on the only free chair left at the table. Yuma soon joined him, bringing along an additional mug with a steaming tea. As the rest of Tsukumo family took seats, Michael couldn't help but to adore nicely prepared dishes, mostly consisting of traditional Japanese cuisine. There were fried chicken strips, grilled fish, miso soup, meat potato and plenty of rice. He didn't even know where to begin as to how delicious it all looked, so he pretty much followed Yuma's lead, taking a little of everything in order to try it all.

Michael put his hands together while mumbling a quiet itadakimasu before trying the first home cooked meal that wasn't made by him or his father. He had cooked plenty of dishes so far, but the ones that were made by Tsukumo family were outright mouth-watering. Not just the flavour, the entire feel of it tasted amazingly and simple at the same time. Michael couldn't help but to imagine his brothers and father at the table too, enjoying a meal together like in the old times before they moved to Heartland.

"So are you Yuma's classmate?" Yuma's sister, Akari as he heard Yuma call her, asked cautiously observing him while sipping her mug of tea.

"Yeah…" Michael replied rather nervously "We sit at the same desk in class."

"That's just wonderful! It's been a while since Yuma brought friends home." Yuma's grandmother smiled "Do feel welcome to visit whenever you want."

"Thank you…" the pink haired boy reached for his cell phone, just to see how late it was "Oh no! My last bus left half of an hour ago."

"You can stay over." said Yuma "I have enough space in my room."

Yuma's grandmother and Akari both gave the black haired boy a "are you sure?" look, but dismissed it once they realized Yuma didn't stutter at all when saying the whole sentence. They finished the rest of the dinner in peace, with Yuma excusing himself earlier as he went to prepare an extra futon in his room for Michael. As a thank you for delicious dinner, Michael offered to help Akari wash the dishes which she gladly took. Scrubbing the plates and cutlery with bunch of dish soap, Yuma's older sibling was quiet most of the time unless her grandmother asked her anything. The pink haired boy politely exchanged those few words with the two women about himself and by the time they were done, they pretty much found out about everything about him.

Just before he headed towards Yuma's room, Akari pulled him into a tight hug, the kind of hug that Chris would give him when he was younger. Though unlike his brother, the young woman had happy tears bubbling at her eyes like Michael just gave her a puppy or something.

"Thank you…" she whispered, releasing him from her bear hug "Yuma had been seriously depressed ever since… that day. I tried to be there for him, but I've been working all the time and never really got a chance to talk with him at all. So, thank you for being his friend."

Michael was surprised that Tsukumo family already saw him as Yuma's friend, though come to think of it he did spend majority of the afternoon with Yuma like they've known each other for years. Not to mention he also had a meal with him and is going to spend a night at his house. This certainly wasn't how he imagined his becoming friends with Yuma would go, but he was that more glad that it happened.

Going to Yuma's room, he was half surprised that Yuma prepared a futon for himself and that he'd get an entire bed for himself. He protested a bit, which the transfer student dismissed right away, saying he used to sleep in the hammock all the time so futon was no trouble. Michael so just gave up and put on the pyjamas that were set on the edge of the bed before following Yuma to the bathroom where he brushed his teeth with Yuma's extra toothbrush.

Once they were both properly ready for bed, they pretty much threw themselves respectively on their beds, snuggling into the warm covers like kittens. Yuma turned off the lights right away as it was pretty late and they would need to get up early for school the next day. Michael stared at the silhouette of his classmate in the dark room, who was lying on his side facing the other wall. To think that a simple returning of a lost pendant would turn into a sleepover… Michael certainly didn't expect that. But before falling asleep, he had to make sure of something.

"Yuma… your sister and grandmother called me your friend… but am I really your friend?" Michael said in a whisper, afraid of what the answer may be.

"You are…" Yuma replied right away "III… you were my friend the moment we met and helped me out."

"Yuma…" the pink haired boy almost gasped at how mature the other boy sounded that moment, completely opposite to how he was so far.

"Everyone wanted to help me out after… what happened… But sooner or later they gave up on me. They saw me as fragile child and once they marked me as too broken, they left." Yuma stopped, sounding like he was wiping a tear "But you didn't give up on me, neither had you pitied me like others did. You just wanted to be friends with me… treating me just like another classmate. No one has ever gone to such lengths for me."

"I'm glad to hear that…" Michael nearly got teary from Yuma's speech.

"III… will you stay friends with me?"

"I will… I promise to never leave you."

Their promises might've sounded a bit far-fetched considering they've knew each other for less than a month, but deep down they felt like they've known each other their whole lives. Even as they slept so close to each other, it was like their dreams were intertwining. Together they continued with their adventure full of ancient ruins where they would be exploring a mysterious temple or look for the lost treasures. And when Michael saw Yuma's eyes again, they were no longer blank and lifeless. No, this time they were of the crimson colour, sparkling as brightly as the ancient rubies that they were about to claim in their quest.

Even when the morning came, Yuma still smiled as widely as he did when he looked at the gems in the dream. Michael who woke up before him was met with a sleeping form of boy with an adventurous spirit that finally found its way back in Yuma's heart. There was still lots of it missing and Michael was more than ever determined to help him get it back. When Yuma woke up he was a bit puzzled of who the other boy in his room was, but once he remembered the dream he formed a slight smile as he got up and began preparing for school.

After as equally delicious breakfast as the yesterday's dinner was, Michael and Yuma headed for the school. Even though they were rather earlier there were already so many students there. Yuma was seemingly fidgeting around them, flinching at their touches like they burned. Michael so led him through the crowd with as less people as possible, hoping to help with his severe anxiety.

"III… is it okay if I hold your hand? I don't like being in crowds… I feel like I'm going to get lost." Yuma nervously asked, shifting from one leg to another.

"Of course. As long as it helps you." Michael gently offered his hand which Yuma took gratefully.

"Thank you…" the black haired leaned into the touch as the two of them walked towards their classroom.

Though what Michael didn't expect was that the moment their hands made contact, he felt a tingling feeling in his chest. What he didn't know that time was that it was a beginning of something that would mark his life forever.

He was starting to fall in love with Yuma…

Preview for the next chapter: In order to help Yuma with his anxiety attacks in the crowds, III invites him to go to the movies. Despite being rather late, III manages to get the last two tickets to see Dark Side of Dimensions movie where Yuma surprisingly stumbles upon an old friend of his.

And this marks the first chapter in 4 part fanfic about III and Yuma falling in love. I went with 4 part love story: first - meeting a person, then realizing you're in love, then planning to confess and lastly confess the love for real. I might be a bit late since it's a Christmas fanfic, but who cares, here's all the fluff that you can get. ;) Yuma and III also won't be the only ship in this since there will be more characters appearing in each chapter. That's it for now and stay tooned for the future chapters that will all come out this week :D Also each chapter will be titled after one of III's quotes.

And in case you're wondering, yes Chris/V is attending the same college as Zarc and Ray from Fragile Smile (in fact they're close friends too) and Kaito also went to see the same movie with Haruto as III and Yuma will.

As always kudos, comments, questions, critics... all highly appreciated, they all always make me write more :D


	2. Yuma amazing, amazing!

Michael decides to go to the movies with Yuma where they run into one of Yuma's old friends. At the same time, Michael starts seeing Yuma in the new light.

In the meanwhile, Michael's brother Thomas decides for the same thing with Ryoga and some more people decide to go on this Miaimi High School festival.

Hello again and here's the second part of my four-part series about III and Yuma falling in love :D

I apologize for taking it so long, but the holidays were busy, my computer crashed and my exams are approaching, so hopefully you'll like this chapter. There will be more characters this time and also some more disqualifyshipping since it plays a major part later on in IV's character development as the big brother/love adviser.

Also note that this chapter is happening on the same night as the first part of Fragile Smile since Lost Kattobingu and Fragile Smile share the same AU.

 **Chapter 2: "Yuma... amazing, amazing!"**

"Going to the movies?" Yuma blinked at Michael's suggestion while putting his electronic notebook in the school bag.

"Yeah I know it's a bit late and sudden, but Dark Side of Dimensions is a really good movie. My brother went to see it last week and recommended it to me. I tried inviting my other brother, but he said he's too busy." Michael said as the two of them left the classroom.

"I don't know if sis will allow it. I mean it's on Monday and all…" the black haired boy wondered, but when met with a pair of persuading green eyes, Yuma could hardly refuse "I'll think about it."

It's been little over three weeks since the two of them became friends and they would spend as much time as they could together. They would mostly hang out at Yuma's room or at the attic with artefacts where they continued to talk about ancient civilizations and how they would one day go visit the places that Yuma's father did. That and Michael would help Yuma with his school work. Yuma was already two months behind, so any help from his pink haired friend was more than welcome. Michael turned out to be an excellent teacher and would patiently correct his friend until he got the things right. It may not seemed like it, but Yuma was actually smart at several subjects, like History and Geography, though the certain other ones, like Math and Science, presented quite a problem. Fortunately Michael knew several tricks to understand it faster from his elder brother Chris and before they knew it, Yuma gradually caught up with all of his school subjects.

A recently achieved C- at Math, not excellent, but still better than F, was probably a good way to start a conversation with Akari. Though he was a little bit in a doubt he'll be allowed to go out and return late at the school day. Ever since they've moved to Heartland, Akari found dozens of reasons to keep him at home at all times. Before their parents' death she never appeared to actually care about him due to being discreetly jealous since he'd usually get all the attention as the younger child. But once they came to Heartland, Akari became very protective of him and would do anything to keep her only family left safe.

"Sis?" Yuma peeked into his sister's working room, the only room in the house that was equipped with modern technology. As a freelance journalist, Akari needed quite a lot to stuff for her work and sometimes she would work for days on a single article.

"Already back from school?" she turned around while still typing something on her computer.

"Yeah… I just wanted to tell you that I managed to get C- minus at Math…" Yuma nervously pulled the electronic device from his pocket that contained all of his school's documentation.

"Oh, that's amazing!" Akari actually stopped typing in order to give her brother a quick hug.

"III helped me out a lot."

"The pink haired kid who's been constantly visiting you for the past couple of weeks?"

"Yeah him… and today he invited me to go to the movies with him. I was just curious if I can go too…"

"Yuma…" Akari sighed to which he was sure that she wouldn't allow him "What you want to do is for you to decide… I know I must've kept you away from everything ever since the accident in order to protect you… but since you've became friends with that guy, I know I can trust you more."

"Sis..." Yuma had tears running down his face at her words, instantly wrapping his arms around her in gratitude "Thank you…"

The older sibling smiled as she returned the hug, knowing that her little brother is slowly becoming himself again.

…

Michael waited nervously at the doorstep of Yuma's house. It was the day they were supposed to go to the movies and the pink haired boy had been looking forward to it ever since Yuma texted him that he can go. The movie would start in little more than two hours from now on, enough for him to pick Yuma at his house, walk to the main train station and check out the movie theatre a bit before it starts. It sure has been a while since he was there, the last time probably being when he went to check Bonds Beyond Time movie, nearly five years ago.

"Bye sis, bye granny!" Yuma shouted while buttoning his winter coat "Seeya tomorrow."

Yuma managed to get a wool cap over his spiked bangs, fully ready for what was yet to come. He also carried a backpack with his sleeping clothes and school supplies since he was supposed to spend a night at Michael's place. The other boy's house was after all at the walking distance of the movie theatre, so it was easier for Yuma to sleep over at Michael's and take the same bus as he does in the morning to get to school.

"All set?" Michael asked despite knowing the answer.

"Yeah!" Yuma hardly covered his excitement.

Soon they were on the train, talking about movies since they were going to see one. It turned out that Yuma watched a lot of adventurous documentaries, some of which Michael liked too. The black haired boy also watched some of the TV series, mostly based on mythical civilizations of the past although he really liked a science fiction series ESPer Robin too. He briefly mentioned that he actually knew the person portraying the space hero, Fuya Okudaira, whom he met by coincidence when the actor visited his father's adventure guide signing. Yuma admitted that he needed some time before he recognized him since he was wearing a disguise, but once they got to a bit more private place Yuma got a chance to get to know the young actor and even got his autograph.

"You're really amazing Yuma…" Michael smiled as he stared at Yuma's eyes that were sparkling more by each day they spent together.

Yuma was about to respond when the speaker announced that their stop was close by, so the two of them moved towards the doors. Holding onto Yuma's hand due to a lot of people everywhere, Michael guided him through several moving stairs and hallways until they finally reached the movie theatre. There were less people since it was a weekday and since they still got over an hour before the movie started, they decided to just get the tickets and have bubble tea or something until then.

Michael went to buy the tickets while Yuma looked over the flyers that announced the upcoming movies. The black haired boy was rather hyped for The Dark Side of Dimensions since they were supposed to get the special edition of cards for a game he haven't played since elementary school and some of the cards were based on ancient civilizations. When Michael mentioned that his brother Thomas Arclight is actually a regional champion, Yuma's jaw nearly dropped since the pink haired boy looked nothing like a certain blond and dark red haired teen.

With tickets in their hands they had just enough time to get a bubble tea on the other part of the movie theatre. Michael admitted he wasn't that fond of the popular drink since he preferred homemade tea, but there were few green tea and black tea flavoured choices that were close enough. Yuma actually never had bubble tea before, so it was not surprising that few tapioca balls slipped into his throat when he slurped it too fast. Luckily Michael reacted in time, tapping his friend's back until Yuma was no longer choking on a chewy ball.

"Let's just sit down, we're not in a hurry." Michael pointed towards the free bench when someone called a familiar name.

"Yuma?"

A black haired boy turned around to see a child around eight years old staring at him with a mix of confusion and soon excitement. The boy had cyan coloured hair and warm hazel eyes that were pointed directly at Yuma.

"Yuma!" he called again, this time running closer and pulling Yuma in a hug "It is you!"

Michael was s bit puzzled to see Yuma not panic or fidgeting away like he usually did when people would touch him. Instead of that he simply returned the hug and gently caressed child's hair.

"Do you know him?" the pink haired boy observed the kid who was wearing dark blue sweater with white stripes and ochre pants.

"Haruto!" another voice called in the distance like the person behind it was in panic "I told you to stay…!"

At that moment Yuma was dumbfounded by the older looking boy who appeared almost out of nowhere, continuing to call name Haruto. The voice belonged to a person that looked at least few years older than Michael and Yuma, his hazel eyes, identical to the child, staring at the black haired boy in confusion. The boy was wearing black and red coat over white running leggings and black trainers like he had just came out of a track field.

"Look brother! It's Yuma!" the kid, Haruto apparently, smiled as he continued to hug Yuma "It's been so long since we've seen him!"

"H-hey Kaito…" Yuma blurted nervously and turned towards Michael "Our parents used to work together…"

"I didn't expect to see you here…" Kaito stepped closer, observing Yuma up close "Are you doing alright?"

"I do…" the black haired looked down, but then pointed his eyes at Michael "III helped me a lot…"

"III… as one of Arclights?" Kaito turned to the pink haired boy who nodded slightly "Thought so, your older brother Chris or so called V is actually my tutor and is currently helping me study for the finals. I'm Kaito Tenjo and this is my little brother Haruto."

"You know my big brother? But he's studying in Miami City."

"Well, I actually live there. I just came to Heartland since Haruto wanted to see Dark Side of Dimensions while it is still in Heartland's theatres." Kaito pulled movie tickets out of his pocket "Speaking of which we were about to get popcorn."

"Mind if we go get it too?" Michael smiled at Yuma giving Haruto a piggyback ride and running around fast.

"Not at all." Kaito replied already walking towards the snack stand.

Due to several people already waiting, Michael and Kaito had to wait in line while Yuma went showing Haruto around. Several minutes have passed before a staff member wearing a shirt with movie theatre's logo assisted them.

"One big popcorn and rainbow cotton candy." Michael ordered first as Kaito looked at the menu, checking several different options over and over.

"Alright…" staff member who was obviously tired from the work said as he scooped the popcorn into a paper bag "Anything else?"

"Do you happen to have caramel spread for popcorn? And non-fizzy drinks?" Kaito asked as soon as Michael took his popcorn.

"I don't think so…" the staff member looked up for the first time and nearly paled at the sight of the certain blond haired teen "Let… me check."

Kaito gave him a confused look, but once he saw him check the shelves with supplies, he ignored the strange feeling and rather went digging for his wallet. The staff member with bright blue eyes and long blond hair pulled in a ponytail looked oddly familiar, especially due to the glare he was secretly giving, like Kaito had just punched him in a face or something. Kaito so just ordered the rest of the snacks and put the precise amount of money on the counter.

"Cartoon of apple juice, one bottle of mineral water and caramel flavoured popcorn." the staff member counted at which Kaito merely nodded and took the snacks as soon as Michael paid for the snacks as well. The blond haired teen mouthed a quick thank you and already headed towards Haruto who was overjoyed to see popcorn with his favourite spread. Yuma was pretty excited to try the cotton candy as well and before they reached the movie theatre, the black haired boy had the sugary treat all over himself. Haruto giggled at the sight of Yuma trying to get it off while Michael and Kaito just shook their heads at the sticky situation.

At the same time, someone else felt anything but what the party of four did. The blond haired staff member gritted his teeth as he walked towards the pantry, his ponytail jumping up and down with each angry step.

"For the last time Girag, I'm not going all over to Miami City just for some stupid high school festival." another staff member with pointy brown hair and tanned skin complained over the cell phone.

"Bu-But Sanagi Chono will be there! Please come with me Alito! I don't want to go alone!"

"Tsk fine, but you're buying me a lunch. You know how bored I can get if there's nothing to do."

"Also… since Akihiko transferred to that school about a month ago…. you could…"

Alito cancelled the call before the blond haired teen could hear what the person on the other end could be suggesting.

"What's up Mizael? You look like you've just swallowed a lemon."

"He's here! Damm bastard is here!"

"Who?"

"Kaito freaking Tenjo! The pitch perfect boy is here!" Mizael's face literally turned red "And he didn't even recognize me!"

"Look, it has been years since that day, maybe you should just let it go already."

"Hell I will! I won't let him forget what he did!"

"Do what you want…" Alito sighed as he headed back to the counter "You can bitch about it for however long you want, but it won't change the fact that he had all the right to leave the track team in elementary school. Hell he was better on his own than all of us together."

The conversation left Mizael anything but calm, in fact it even pissed him off more than he already was. He continued to stare in direction that Kaito and others went, determined to go get him as soon as the movie was over and his shift was done. Until then he'll have to endure more of the way too familiar smell of buttery popcorn and serve more customers. Alito on the other hand was handling the drinks and snacks to a group of girls with such a charm that one of them nearly fainted. Mizael had an urge to blurt out to all other girls that approached his classmate that the tanned teen had eyes on someone already and went unleashing his anger on a sack of corn in the machine that popped almost as intensely as his nerves.

On the parking spot of the movie theatre someone else was about to have teen love crisis. One boy wrapped in a coat and scarf awaited another one who arrived there with a motorcycle.

"You surely took your sweet ass time getting here, Ryoga. My fanservice nearly left me by the time you finally appeared." Thomas grumbled while purple haired boy was in the process of removing his helmet.

"Not my fault Rio took so long to get ready for her date and even once she was ready she complained I was going too fast."

"A date you say?" Thomas raised his eyebrows in seducing manner "Which guy won the heart of my very first crush? A guy who can offer even more fanservice than me?"

"Hate to say it, but you lost to a thirteen year old girl."

"Don't tell me she was actually serious when she said she had hots for Kotori!? Oh no, the puppet gods have forsaken me!"

"Shut it drama queen, I'm right here. As her brother and your boyfriend."

"Yes yes, I'm so lucky that Rio has a twin that is nearly as hot as herself."

"What do you mean by nearly?" Shark practically pouted when pulling after Thomas' collar.

"Relax, I'm just teasing. You're obviously the hottest… OH MY GOD, Seto Kaiba is in this movie!" Thomas nearly screamed when seeing the movie poster "I had no idea that sexy asshole stars in Dark Side of Dimensions!"

Ryoga just sighed while dragging Thomas away from the movie poster so they could get tickets in time. They quickly fetched a couple of drinks and bunch of snacks, including corn chips with a load of melted nacho cheese and then got into auditorium before all the commercials ended. Ryoga was about to lean back in the comfortable seat when a familiar strand of pink haired at the front seats attracted his attention.

"Isn't that Michael?" Ryoga nudged it to Thomas.

"I doubt it, baby bro wouldn't go to theatre by himself since… HOLY HELL it is him!"

"He doesn't seem to be alone…" Shark tried to look more closely "I can't see who is with, but he's definitely there with someone."

"This explains why he would keep nagging me for an opinion of how he looked in various outfits…" Thomas thought when realization suddenly hit him "He's on a date!"

"Shhhh, shut your trap before he and the rest of movie theatre hears you."

"He didn't say a word about it… what if he's out with some creep?!" the teen was ready to stand up and go check it for himself before he was pulled back by Shark.

"For goodness sakes, just sit down, eat your nachos and watch the damn movie! Whoever he's with seemed about his age and the last time I checked Michael has more brain than you do, Mr. fanservice."

"Fine, but if there's any kissing, she or he will have to answer to me!" Thomas still wouldn't back off, glaring at the mysterious person talking with his younger brother.

"You're unbelievable." Shark sighed as he took a sip of his coke.

At last the movie began and all the people went quiet instantly, starting to chew on the popcorn and pointing their eyes at the projection. Yuma's eyes beamed from excitement since it has been a while since he was at the movies and the opening scene surely shook entire movie auditorium into an awe. For the next hour and a half, the two teens followed a plot of ancient spirits trapped in artefacts discovered by main characters who were pulled in an action packed story full of decisions and unexpected plot twists.

At one point Michael reached into a shared paper bowl with popcorn, his eyes too focused on the movie to realize there wasn't much of it left. Blindly picking around the burnt grains of corn on the bottom, Michael suddenly felt something much softer than a fistful of popcorn.

It was Yuma's hand.

Ever since the day the two of them became friends, Michael would hold Yuma's hand whenever the other boy felt anxious or just needed some comfort. The pink haired boy never saw the hand-holding in any sort of a romantic way, rather a brotherly-like way. Due to growing up with two older brothers and a loving father who would regularly act overprotective towards him, especially after his mother's death, Michael saw nothing wrong with showing family affection to Yuma. The black haired boy was always ok with it since he found it easier to open up to his friend and gradually breaking out of his shell.

But why did he felt butterflies in his stomach and his heart beating to the point that his chest hurt? Whatever it was, it was certainly different from when his brothers would hold his hand. He knew he allowed Yuma to call him after his family nickname, but was the other boy really just a close friend to him?

"III? Are you alright?" Yuma turned towards Michael once he realized just for how long his hand was being held.

"Yeah… I just remembered something…" he forced a smile as he focused on the movie again "So what was that Diva guy planning again?"

The rest of the movie went on pretty fast and the whole time Michael tried hard not to touch Yuma, not because he was feeling uncomfortable, just a bit unsure due to the feeling in his chest. Towards the end of the movie he even spent more time staring at Yuma's gleaming eyes as it showed just how much Yuma has changed from the frightened child with empty eyes. Whenever he would try to get closer to his friend, Michael had a weird gut feeling like someone was watching him that disappeared the moment he looked back. Just what was making him feel so uneasy and puzzled?

By the time the credits were rolling, Michael hardly realized that at that point he was so busy watching Yuma's excited and smiling face that he completely didn't see how the movie ended. Never mind that, he'll see it once it will be available on TV.

You could always replay the film after all.

Yuma's sparkling eyes were a sight that could never been replayed, no matter how beautiful and full of life he looked at that point.

Michael had to be nudged several times by Yuma before he noticed that people were already leaving auditorium, including Kaito whose little brother was hardly walking around. The four of them headed towards the exit since the Tenjo brothers had a train to catch if they wanted to get home in Miami City at a reasonable hour. Still, they had couple more minutes to spare before the two siblings had to leave.

"That made up civilization was pretty interesting. I wonder if it's based on existing culture or not." Michael started to distract himself from all the butterflied gathering in his stomach.

"Yeah, the objects had awesome designs too, especially those pyramid shaped ones." Yuma shouted in excitement that didn't help his pink haired friend's bushiness.

"Well, if you're interested you can check Miami's High School festival in couple of weeks. A lot of educational institutes will have stands there, including Millennium Research group that actually worked with the producers of the movie." Kaito added.

"Brother will have a stand too! With rockets and galaxies!" Haruto exclaimed.

"Uh Astronomy based stand? Sounds like something my brother would make." Michael smiled, remembering all the planetariums that Chris took him to along with all the spaceship models still exhibited in his old room.

"He actually helped me out a lot. Chris wanted to be there too, but he has an exam on that day." the blond haired reached for his cell phone to show some of the pictures where he was making decorations for the stand.

"Nice!" Yuma checked the pictures of galaxies with an interest "How many stands will be there?"

"Well from what I know, my friend Shun will present his family's shelter for avian species, couple of girls that I know will have singing workshops, there will be a stand about Fudo technologies, idol Sanagi Chono will perform with the school's band… I think there will be also a cosplay café, some mini tournaments and tons of other stuff to check out. Uh, there will be also a recreation of Smile Universe event from several years ago."

"Really?!" Yuma's eyes beamed even more when he remembered a showed that he enjoyed so much during the time he was in Miami City.

"Members of drama club have been overworking themselves to make it come true. I surely hope no one gets sick from all that work. I'd love to see it." Kaito nodded, feeling his brother's body leaning more and more against his leg.

"Yeah, Yusho Sakaki's show was just amazing!" the black haired boy's eyes were again filled with sparkles of excitement.

"I should get going. It's passed the Haruto's sleeping time and we both have school tomorrow." Kaito picked up his sleepy brother so the child's head was leaning against his shoulder "It was nice to see you again Yuma. I hope you make it to the Miami's High School festival."

"You too Kaito!" Yuma waved as the two siblings headed towards the train stop.

"Have a safe trip home." Michael finally found something to say over something that was clearly of Kaito's and Yuma's same interest.

Kaito gave them a quick wave before practically running down the staircase with sleeping Haruto in his arms. Though Yuma and Michael weren't the only ones who saw it.

Hidden behind a stand with upcoming movie dates, Mizael carefully listened to every word that Kaito said. If it weren't for the two teens he knew by appearances, that were attending Heartland Academy, he would probably give Kaito a speech he's been putting up together for years. But now that the blond haired was already on a train he couldn't do much.

"So you're going to Miami's High School festival?" Mizael thought while going through his long, now loose, blond hair "I guess I'll ask Alito and Gilag if I can join them…"

On yet another part of the movie theatre a couple was getting home. Or trying, would be a better way to say it. Ryoga was losing his patience at his boyfriend who couldn't step away from the poster with life-sized Seto Kaiba.

"I get it okay! You worship Seto Kaiba, can we go now? I rather not drive into some weirdos on the road at this hour." Ryoga narrowed his eyes when Thomas didn't appear to hear what he was saying "Oi! We should get going!"

"Just a minute Shark boy." the other teen pulled out his cell phone for a photo "This selfie with a legend of Duel Monsters and action movies will triple the fanservice on my blog. I can already hear my fangirls screaming."

The purple haired teen sighed as he sat down on a bench, trying to think of anything that would distract him from his growing temper. At times Thomas would have a talent to push on all of the wrong buttons at once while laughing menacingly. Though fortunately the other teen took the rest of the photos quite fast and was fully ready to jump on Ryoga's motorcycle as soon as they get on the parking lot.

"I'm sorry it took so long." Thomas threw his arm around the other teen, leaning close to his lips in order to give him a kiss "You're still my hottie and the next time I'll make sure to give you 100% of my attention."

"Don't…" Ryoga mumbled, but couldn't do much when he felt Thomas' lips on his own.

"Why not? We had a nice date so far and it's only appropriate we finish it properly."

"Just stop…" the purple haired teen was clenching his fists now, his temper close to a limit.

"Why? Can't I give you an affection as your wonderful boyfriend? You make my fanservice going crazy." Thomas failed to notice just how rapid Ryoga's breathing was becoming.

In that moment Ryoga outright lost it and grabbed him by his collar. Thomas instantly forgot all about his favourite card game idol and his fans the moment he saw Ryoga's dark blue eyes filled with so much anger he hardly believed it. And not only anger…

At the edges Thomas could see tears prickling out.

"Don't go off with kissing, promises and pretty words to avoid our issues. You always do it and I'm sick of it!" Ryoga let go of him as the more tears poured out of his eyes "It's already hard as it is that you started dating me just because I look like Rio, your dream crush that turned you down the second you asked her out!"

"Ryoga I…"

"I hate it, okay! I hate it that you're treating our relationship like an entertainment! I hate it that you're drooling over some celebrity you don't even know in person! I hate it that you don't pay attention to my feelings!"

Thomas felt like the shards of Ryoga's broken heart were flying into his own. Was his boyfriend really hurting because of all of this? They've been dating for two years now and for Ryoga to explode with such intense emotions before saying anything… it hurt him too. He always thought that the purple haired teen was in a way thinking like his fans, people who enjoyed his blog and loved to see him play Duel Monsters. But not Ryoga. No, his tag duel partner was the right opposite of it, preferring to keep his emotions for himself instead of throwing them on everyone. Come to think of it, Thomas now knew for certain that it wasn't the fact that Ryoga resembled his twin sister that attracted him.

It was because Ryoga was different.

Without a second thought Thomas pressed his boyfriend close to his chest, no matter how much the other struggled to break free. The tears continued to run down Ryoga's cheeks the more he cursed over Thomas who remained quiet, taking every word as seriously as he could.

Sooner or later, Ryoga ran out of insults and reasons to hate Thomas, so he just sobbed into his arms while the other teen gently caressed his hair. Then he moved away the locks that were covering Ryoga's eyes, carefully tucking them behind his ears. And lastly pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Just like on their very first date at the nearly the same spot.

"I'm truly sorry about it… I never took your words seriously. I'm sorry I had to push you to this point in order to realize it." Thomas continued to hold his boyfriend close "I knew how distant your emotions are… and this doesn't mean you don't have them…"

"I guess… it's sorta my fault too… I always keep them for myself…"

"And you do it for a reason. I have no excuses…"

The two of them eventually found their way to Ryoga's motorcycle, but when they got on it, home wasn't where the purple haired teen was headed.

"Do you think Heartland's Arena is still opened?" Ryoga asked once driving out of the parking lot.

"Considering it's ran by AIs, I guess so? Why?" Thomas got confused at the mention of place where Duel Monsters tournaments were held.

"I think we both need a duel to clear our thoughts. Even as tag duel partners we have to face each other from time to time."

"Heh, you got that right."

Ryoga accelerated towards the stadium looking building as Thomas let out a joyful shout, earning several puzzled glances from passers-by. But they didn't care. All that mattered was that they get to have a duel with brand new special edition cards they got from the movie theatre.

Michael and Yuma didn't have much trouble getting home. As soon as Kaito left, the two of them headed straight towards Michael's house, Yuma amazed by the fact that the pink haired boy lived in such a fancy home. The moment they got in, the black haired instantly went checking out the unique furniture that he knew well from the books about mediaeval times and that was just enough for Michael to excuse himself, saying he needed to use a bathroom, and finally get a break from it all.

It may not seem like it, but the whole way home when Yuma was holding his hand felt both torturous and pleasant. In one way he enjoy it since his heart beat fast and warmed him up, though in the other way his stomach felt like butterflies caused a hurricane in it!

Just what was with all of this? Was he really so deep in love that his body was already reacting to it? And if he was, just what it was suggesting?

"III? Are you in there?" Yuma knocked on the door, sending another tornado of butterflies in his stomach.

"Yeah… do you need anything?" Michael somehow managed to sound decent enough.

"I feel like sleeping already… is it okay if I just fall asleep on the air mattress next to your bed?"

"Sure." Michael thanked all possible deities that he got everything ready before they went to the movie theatre. If he would have to do it now… boy it would be difficult.

It took him nearly twenty minutes before he calmed down at last and by the sound of quiet breathing, he concluded Yuma was asleep. Slowly he got in his room, slipping in his pyjamas and set his cell phone on quiet. It was eleven already and by his father's coat and shoes at the doorstep, he guessed he was in the bed too. In a way he wanted Yuma to meet a man who was good friends with his own father, but considering everything that happened that day it could freely wait until a better time.

Pulling covers over his head, Michael hoped a good night sleep would prepare him for the next day when his beating heart and wild butterflies would probably go after him again.

But during the night, Michael woke up due to a dry throat and grumbled at the fact he ate so much salty snacks that evening. With no other choice since his water bottle was empty, the pink haired boy silently headed for the kitchen where he had not one but nearly three glasses of water before he deemed his thirst taken care of for the night. Quietly, so he wouldn't wake up his father, Michael was about to reach the door leading to his room when lights suddenly turned on.

Quickly covering his mouth before his yelp could wake up the rest of his family, Michael's green eyes went wide when he saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall.

"Brother!? Why are you up?! It's like one o'clock in the morning!" Michael asked with unlikely high pitched voice.

"Checking on my baby bro of course." Thomas grinned.

"Scratch that, weren't you supposed to be at Ryoga's place?"

"I was, but I decided to go home." he coyly stepped around like he was on a fashion runway "What? Can't I come home whenever I want?"

"It's not that… just that…"

"You have a friend over, aren't you?"

"How did you…?!"

"I saw the two of you at the movie theatre. I must say you were pretty close to you know-" Thomas imitated smooching sounds and pretended to kiss one of his cards that he carried around at all times.

"Brother!" Michael's cheeks turned bright red "It was nothing like that!"

"Riiiiiiiiight… if that's true then I'm a unicorn."

"Seriously, we just went to see the movie since you were too busy to go with me." the younger sibling looked away since his older brother's eyes were way to prying into him "What do you want anyway?"

Thomas only nudged at the half-opened doors, revealing a sleeping form of Yuma, all curled up on an air mattress. The face of a black haired boy was peaceful, like the dreams he was seeing were his favorite.

"You love him, don't you?" Michael blushed even redder at his sibling's words "Before you ask why, your face is saying it all. You look like a freaking schoolgirl in love whenever I mention him."

"B-but we really are just friends! Yuma has been through a lot and I'm just trying to help him out!"

"By inviting him on a date that ends in your bedroom?"

"Brother! Stop teasing me already!" the pink haired boy pouted which made Thomas even more daring to tease him.

"Relax, I'm not expecting you to go THIS far on your first night." the older sibling continued to laugh though soon his expression shifted to more serious one "But seriously… I've noticed how much you changed during last few weeks. I might've not been home that much… but even I can tell you smile more and that you're less shy… Is it because of him?"

Michael looked towards his room, staring at the face of a person for whom he never thought he'd develop such strong feelings. He mentally admitted to himself, he first reached out to Yuma because he saw himself in him and wanted to help him out, but now? He began to see him more and more as a person that warmed up his heart, a person whose passion for similar interest was pouring into him… and someone who made him happy in a way no one did before.

"Just tell him how you feel…" Thomas said in a firm tone, remembering Ryoga's crying face "Today I've realized just how important your feelings are in a relationship."

"Brother…" Michael hardly believed his older sibling would say something as compassionate as that.

"But don't rush it, hell whatever you do, don't be too straightforward! Otherwise the guy you're crazy about will get a wrong idea!"

"What do you suggest then?" the younger sibling crossed his arms "It's sort of hard to find a way between being blunt and not too straightforward for such serious situation."

"Geez you got me here…" Thomas sighed, trying to remember more of what Ryoga told him that night.

"I mean… I doubt I'll have an opportunity to make sure if he's feeling the same way about me outside school and friendzone… unless we go to Miami City on that festival…"

"That's it! My baby bro genius, you got it!" the older brother picked his younger one and spun him around "You'll both get a lot of fun there and plenty of chances to learn more about him! Not to mention I'll be there too!"

"You will?"

"Yeah, one of the school band's bassists broke his arm and asked Ryoga if he can cover him on Sanagi Chono's concert, so naturally I'm going too."

"Will you really help me out? Not just tease me?"

"Believe me, after this night I'll probably think twice before I joke around anyone."

"Did something happen between you and Ryoga?"

"You could… say that, but it doesn't matter right now." Thomas playfully ruffled Michael's hair "Now go catch some shuteye before your love life affects your grades!"

"Brother!"

"Okay, this was the last time I tease you today. Now go to bed already!"

Despite all of it, Michael grinned at his brother and headed for his bed. Just before getting in, he crouched down on Yuma's level, watching his calm face. Whispering so quiet that only he heard himself, Michael said those few sentences.

"I'm afraid to say it… but my feelings for you are becoming stronger each day…"

Michael fixed the blanket so Yuma was properly covered up.

"Yuma… will you ever see me more… than your friend?"

Hope you liked the new chapter, comments, kudos, questions, ideas, critics highly appreciated, I'm always eager to know what do you think about my writing. Hopefully Kaito wasn't too OC since I kinda made him more gentle due to the fact that Haruto was with him and if Haruto doesn't turn this cold guy into a softie then I don't know what will.

The next chapter will be a direct continuation to Fragile Smile (Brother's For Life series) since Yuma and others will visit Miami's High School festival where there will be tons of characters from all the series :D and yup including Yuya's Smile Universe event that he worked so hard for in Fragile Smile. The tension and backstory between Mizael and Kaito will play an important role as well, so make sure you won't miss it!

Though sadly, my exams start in about two weeks and I'll be probably busy until the middle of the February. I know my updates on everything are slow, considering I was supposed to be done with this series already and write about Christmas special for Fragile Smile plus Dragon Guardians and Broken by Humanity, Healed by a Dragon - I actually have all of them half finished already, but due to the little time I currently have, it's pretty hard to write all the details in time. It may be a little weird to read about Christmas two months later, but hey better later than never they say ;)

But by no means am I abandoning any of my stories! Once my exams are over, I'm back in the game!


End file.
